Shlemiel
by Psycha Dea
Summary: After messing up in The Leadership Breakfast, Toby goes to see the woman who tried to protect him and failed.


I feel bad for taking so long for the next chapter of Vulnerant Omnes, but life's a bit crazy at the moment and the chapter is a difficult one. So, to ease my guilt a little and hopefully entertain a reader of two along the way; here's a short post-ep for _The Leadership Breakfast_. Characters and stuff belong to Sorkin, I'm just borrowing...

====  
**Shlemiel**  
====

"I was wrong." He'd been standing in her doorframe for a few minutes and she hadn't acknowledged him. Even now she didn't look up.

"Yes."

From the one syllable answer he couldn't tell whether she was pissed or not and not for the first time he wondered how it was that he could not surprise her. He could surprise anyone else, but not CJ. "I got creamed."

"Yes."

She appeared to be engrossed in something, but she could easily be faking it. It frustrated him that he couldn't tell. "It was stupid."

"Yes."

Toby took a breath and tried to get a better look at her face. Just two weeks ago he'd ribbed her for not catching onto the green beans story quicker, why wasn't she retaliating? She certainly had more than enough ammunition right now. "You were right."

"Yes."

"The President hates my guts right now."

"Yes."

"Ann Stark loves me."

Was that a laugh? "Yes."

"I'm a _shlemiel_."

There was just the tiniest twitch of her lips. "Yes."

When had she changed? When he hired her, she fell in the pool. Back then, she was awkward and hid her intelligence too well. People underestimated her and she knew how to use it to her advantage. Here, in this political capital, she'd grown into her position and after a shaky first year gave as good as she got. The awkwardness had been reduced to charming clumsiness, just enough to offset her sharp intelligence. "You saw it coming."

"Yes."

He knew it got to her when they kept her out of the loop, and when they barely glanced at her input. She didn't realize they did that because she intimidated them. Somewhere in there, he reckoned, was the girl from hick town who didn't feel good enough to play with the big boys. "I should have listened to you."

"Yes."

The thing was, the big boys couldn't play without her. For all the brilliant minds advising the President, she was the one closest to the voters and she used that inside knowledge to ground them when necessary. "I told Leo you warned me."

"Okay." Ha, progress.

"Thank you." The words left him before he could help it. His mouth conspired with his lungs and vocal chords every so often to make that happen. He berated them for not consulting his brain first. She finally looked at him, albeit from over the top of her glasses. "For not gloating."

CJ shrugged and put down the file she'd been reading. "We all make mistakes."

"I don't." It earned him a wan smile as she reclined in her chair. Even sitting down she looked tall.

"Go home Toby."

She didn't look like going home at all, judging by the number of empty cups on her desk. "What are you doing?" As her boss, he had a right to know, hell, he should know. Truth was, he hadn't felt like her boss for some time.

He knew she was the perfect choice for the job and even when she messed up, he only found himself strengthened in that belief. CJ was a problem solver. Someone who fought tooth and nail for the things she believed in, who worked with a zest few could match. More importantly, she had a natural instinct to protect and that was really a press secretary's main job. To protect the president and his staff from the press, yes, but also from themselves.

Somewhere along the way, she'd carved out her own niche in between these hallowed walls. The press secretary and her staff of eighteen, no longer felt like a part of his department and though technically he and Josh outranked her, neither of them could fully grasp CJ Cregg.

CJ sighed and finally truly looked at him, her eyes somewhere between wary and pitiful. Had she ever looked at him like that before? Suddenly he wanted to tell her about his pact with Leo. He didn't. "I'm trying to find some dirt on the majority leader and figure out how he stands with the press and public."

"Okay." He doesn't need her to explain why or make up an excuse for him not to help her. To her credit, she doesn't. Deflated and tired from this hellish day Toby nodded. She can do this without him.

It has been a while since he'd felt this monumentally stupid. He'd truly believed Ann wouldn't screw him over, they had a history after all. But the signs were there and everyone had seen them, except he and it wasn't because of the maple syrup. They had a chance, a real chance to discuss sensitive issues without political grandstanding. No press meant nothing said would gain anyone votes. They had a chance and took it and it blew up in their face. The next few days instead of making policy, instead of affecting chance, they'd be doing damage control for something that so easily could have been avoided.

He stared at CJ a moment longer, thinking there was something else he should say. Just as he opened his mouth, she threw him a pointed look. Toby Ziegler shut up.


End file.
